King City towing scandal: Testimony alleges a lot of deals were made

SALINAS &GT;&GT; Not long after Sgt. Bobby Carrillo began working for the King City Police Department, he came over to Miller's Towing to introduce himself, owner Brian Miller said on the witness stand on Thursday.

Miller remembers shaking Carrillo's hand and seeing him again several times in the ensuing months.

Eventually, Carrillo came to Miller's yard and asked how much a car would cost.

"Let's make a deal," Miller said Carrillo told him. "I can get some tows for you. Nobody will know."

Miller was testifying on the first day of the preliminary hearing in the corruption case of Carrillo, acting King City Police Chief Bruce Miller, and his brother Brian Miller, all of whom are accused of operating a towing-impound scheme to obtain vehicles from poor, mostly Latino unlicensed drivers.

Brian Miller testified that Carrillo insisted on getting a deal. Eventually, the tow company owner relented and said "give me 20 tows for it.'"

Carrillo delivered in just one weekend Miller said.

"He texted me," he said. "I could not believe he gave me that many."

For those 20 tows, Carrillo got a Ford Expedition. Subsequently, Carrillo got a Trans Am, a Honda, and several other vehicles. All of the transactions were similar in nature: Carrillo would come by the lot and would eye a car he wanted. Brian Miller would name a price – the number of tows he would take, and Carrillo would deliver, Miller testified.

Prosecutors said there were eight separate times when Carrillo got cars this way.

"I don't remember him ever paying for a vehicle, so I must have given it to him," Brian Miller said, referring to a specific car.

Brian Miller also testified that his brother came over to the lot to buy a car on one occasion. But there was nothing he could afford, so the acting chief asked his brother to let him know if he came across something good.

A week later, Carrillo came over to the yard and told Brian Miller his brother wasn't doing well. Can you help him out, Carrillo asked. Brian Miller testified he was reluctant to help because his wife would be mad, but he eventually relented, he said. He just asked Carrillo to keep his name out of it.

Brian Miller said he gave the blank paperwork to Carrillo for him to fill out. And that's how, according to Brian Miller, Bruce Miller ended up with a car from his towing business.

Earlier testimony mostly focused on how the King City Police Department relied on "rotational tow," which means that officers requesting a tow truck have to call dispatch, and dispatch would call one of the four tow truck companies on a rotating basis.

Monterey County District Attorney investigator Roy Diaz testified that in the period of several years, Miller's Towing was requested from 87 to 90 percent of the time. In one year, the company was requested 100 percent of the time.

Diaz also testified that King City police officer Alex Tirado had complained about the heavy use of Miller's Towing to Acting Chief Bruce Miller, but that he took no action.

Carrillo became known as a person in the police department who sold vehicles, Diaz testified. One day, according to interviews, Bruce Miller announced at a department meeting that he needed a car for his son. Carrillo told Bruce Miller one of the officers was behind in the car payments so he was going to repossess it and could sell it to him.

A 1995 Nissan Maxima was parked outside the department one day. Carrillo told Bruce Miller "this is the car I have for you," according to Diaz. "It's free, you can have it. They shook hands."

Testimony also alluded that the car was in very poor condition. Its value could have ranged from a few hundred dollars to just over a thousand.

Testimony will continue Friday afternoon. Judge Scott will decide whether there's enough evidence for the three defendants to stand trial.

The trial is the result of a sweeping investigation of the King City Police Department.

Two other King City Police officers have already been ordered to face a jury. Former Chief Nick Baldiviez and officer Mario Mottu Sr. will stand trial on felony charges of embezzlement by a public official and perjury.